Posts Tagged ‘encouragement’

In honor of their appearance, I have created a special JaM reward sketch that you can view by voting for Theater Hopper at buzzComix. It depicts Joe finally learning the important difference between e.p.t. and E.M.T.

A major shout-out needs to go out to Joe and Monkey creator Zach Miller. I already gave him some minor kudos on Friday, but this time I’m handing out the King-Sized kudos. Not only has Zach been a great sounding board to bounce ideas off of as I conclude the arc, but when I needed help finding the punch line to today’s strip, Zach was more than willing to lend a hand. I mean, who better to get the tone and the feeling of the characters right than the guy who created them? The e.p.t. joke is totally his and I appreciate his help. It was a real treat to take his characters for a little spin around the block. I had a blast working with them.

Can you believe the storyline that started way back on September 6 is almost over? A whole month dedicated to one arc. It’s crazy for me!

And I swear that it will end on Friday. No more phony extensions like I gave myself last week! This time it has been plotted out. It is set in stone! The closer comes on Friday and that’s it!

Anyway, I know I’ll be saying it a lot this week, so thank you to everyone who has supported this arc. It’s really helped to wake me up creatively and it’s been a blast.

I also want to say thank you to everyone who has bought our new t-shirt. Response to this design has been a lot stronger than the old Pimp Tom t-shirt. I have a feeling we may have hit on a design that I can continue to sell on the site for a long time.

It’s funny, y’know. The concept for the shirt originally began as an inside joke for the members of the THorum. I can’t get into the whole history of it, but I thought only a few people would buy the shirt since they were the ones who inspired it. Instead, when I’m checking my referral logs, I’m seeing links to all these other communities with other movie fans saying “Hey, check out this shirt!” and linking to the site. So if you’re new to Theater Hopper after coming to check out the shirt

I know that this comic is grossly overdue and I am sorry. I don’t really have an excuse other than exhaustion caught up with me after getting back from C2E2. I had to get my house back in order, spend time with my kids and wife and there just wasn’t time for anything else last week.

Of course, like a dummy, I had to go ahead and make this comic double-sized. Like I didn’t have enough on my plate.

I’ve never worked with a buffer and that has usually been to my detriment. However, it’s only bitten me on the rear end a couple of times. This was one of those times. I feel bad enough about it, but what’s done is done. Time to move on.

A quick recap: From April 13 – 15, I was exhibiting at C2E2 in Chicago and had a great time. Oddly, it was probably one of the most profitable shows I’ve ever been to. Which, of course, is great. I had a lot of people come up to me just like they did at Emerald City Comic Con and tell me that they were sorry to hear the comic was ending. I was really touched.

Most amazingly, at one point while drawing sketches, I had a line of people waiting to talk to me. THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN, folks. Sometimes I’ll be talking to one person and there will be another person off to the side looking at my Spoiler t-shirt. But a line? People who came to see me and then waited? That was a first. It actually made me wonder if I should be ending the comic at all!

But, alas. The comic is ending and this is the end cap of all the dramatic stuff.

I took a little bit of criticism for the comic a couple of weeks ago for heaping on the melodrama. Bad melodrama.

Hey, I get it. Some of you want jokes about Cabin in the Woods. Me, too. But those aren’t the comics I’m making right now. I have to wrap this up the way I feel is best. And, yeah, maybe drama isn’t my strong suit. But it’s something I wanted to try before I closed up shop. Charlie and Jimmy specifically were characters whose involvement I felt should be resolved before moving forward.

That said, you’ll be pleased to know that there will be plenty of Avengers action starting next week. And, as I’m sure you know, Iron Man is in the Avengers. And where Iron Man goes, CARDBOARD IRON MAN is sure to follow.

I consider it kind of serendipitous that there would be an opportunity for another Cardboard Iron Man story arc in the last year of the comic. Although I somewhat bemoan the fact that Theater Hopper won’t be here for Iron Man 3.